There are NPC guards and PC guards, both of which have different tasks, although some tasks are the same. This chapter deals with the technical functions of NPC guards. These guards are assigned to a district and they don't leave the district. Furthermore they are usually restricted to those streets with paved roads. Streets with rubble roads are usually not patrolled by NPC guards. NPC guards stay in a patrol room for a while and then move on to the next patrol room. They can not enter private homes. NPC guards can be recognized by their characteristic robotic shape.
A guard's duty is to make sure, the streets are safe and that there are no lewd actions going on in the streets. For that matter they constantly scan all PCs they see and act if there is something that requires their attention. There are basically three triggers for a guard to act:
A wanted criminal is one for which a warrant has been issued in the district of the guard or in a district to which the district of the guard extradites. The guard will first ask the criminal to surrender which opens a dialog on the criminal's client with the guard's request and two buttons, basically saying "I Give Up" and "I Fight To Death" and the criminal has 30 seconds to decide. During this time he will not be attacked by anybody. If the criminal lets his time run out, this is treated as a No and the guard will attack.
When the guard attacks and the criminal fights back, he will automatically get another day on top of his punishment. This is true for all sorts of guard fights by the way! Whenever you fight against a NPC guard (not PC guard) you will automatically receive a 1 day prison sentence. This is a sure way to earn a lifetime in prison, so think twice before you go against NPC guards. Once the guard defeats you, you will be KOed and transported to prison. You will keep your belongings, except weapons and you are now imprisoned.
The same is true, when you give up when the guard asks you to, you just save that extra day of prison sentence. So, when you have a short prison term and do not intend to become a career criminal, then giving up is often the smarter choice. Spend your one or two days in prison and don't become criminal again!
Once a guard has warned you, you will not be warned again. A PC guard has the power to warn you at will and give you another chance to surrender peacefully, however NPC guards will attack you on sight.
A flashing criminal is a character who has been declared Abuser by another character, because he has done him wrong in some way. For example when you enter another character's house, the owner of the house has the power to declare you an Abuser. When you steal something in a house and this house has a burglar alarm that triggers, you start to flash automatically. When you hold a character against his will, this character can declare you an abuser. In general, when you think you should be able to declare someone an abuser, click on the character and then click the Justice Tab. If the Declare Abuser button is available that means that the system has determined that the other character may be abusing you. It is up to you whether you want to make the call and declare him Abuser or not. If you decide, not to declare him abuser, because you are consenting, then nothing will happen. If you declare him abuser, then he starts flashing.
Flashing usually lasts for 5 minutes, but it can last longer, for example a burglar's 5 minutes start when he leaves the house, so hiding in the house won't help him.
When a character flashes, every character can attack him without consequences. If the flashing character is KOed, no assault crime is generated against the victor. However, if the flashing character is permakilled, then a murder crime is generated against the killer. Flashing is no carte blanche for permakill!
When the flashing character is KOed and reborn in an adjacent room, he stops flashing, so repeated KO under this rule is not possible. He can try and go back to pick up his belongings, if they are still there.
Of course, NPC guards attack any flashing character they see. If you fight back, you will get a 1 day automatic prison term. This is not the case when you fight back against a PC character.
Guards also make sure that there is no lewd conduct on the streets where they patrol. When they see characters whose genitals are covered less than 40% or who have any form of sexual intercourse, except kissing or holding hands, they will attack immediately. Here, too, you will receive 1 day prison term when you fight back. It may be best to run away or accept the KO instead of fighting back.
Guards act when they see anybody performing lewd actions, or when they are called into a room where somebody has filmed a lewd action with a camera. For a camera to work, the act must be in a public room in which lewd conduct rules are actually enforced, so a room with rubble floor will not interest a guard and nobody will come. To call a guard, just target one of the characters engaged in lewd conduct and double click the camera.
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